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Mappadux

Overview

Mappadux is a free, browser based virtual tabletop built for in person play, often referred to as "VTT@Home". It needs no account, no server, and no install. It runs entirely in the browser, and the maps and assets a GM uploads stay on their own device. The aim is a tool that sets up immersive maps in minutes and stays out of the way during a session, rather than one that becomes an evening prep job. Built originally by the creator for their own table and needs, it offers a streamlined solution for anyone with similar goals.

Mappadux is system agnostic and designed to be used for any in person RPG, fitting a playstyle where the same game system is rarely used twice. It does not enforce any rules, but it does contain general purpose GM tools applicable to most games, such as scaled maps, measuring tools, clocks, timers, initiative trackers, and map markers. This VTT is about adding immersion and setting a mood. For in person games, these elements are far more important than managing movement, actions, or other busywork. Setting the mood and getting players immersed in the game with audio and visual effects without getting in the way is the central design philosophy. Allowing the GM to manage everything during play with a couple of clicks or by pressing a touch screen is key; needing to reach for a keyboard during a session is considered a design failure. On the GM side, Mappadux covers usual table needs without menu hunting mid scene: fog of war, painted shader effects, animated backdrops, markers, motion trackers, atmospheric and positional audio, and immersive visual filters like parchment, hand drawn, or CRT phosphor. Image maps, animated maps, composite or layered maps, and rich text map handouts like letters, posters, and journal pages all sit side by side in one library. Players are not passive participants unless the GM wants them to be. While phones or tablets are not required at the table, connecting them unlocks optional Player Voice functionality. These features give each player a named identity with their own draggable map token, map pings (a quick 'look here!'), two way secret note passing with an optional LLM assisted reply for the GM, and a way to submit initiative easily. Everything a GM builds, including maps, audio, splash screens, and themes, travels in a single .mappadux pack file that can optionally be encrypted. This allows a prepared session to be handed to players, posted to a Patreon, or shared with the wider community as easily as forwarding a file. Mappadux is attribution focused: every map and sound carries its license, source, and creator, and the asset library can copy a ready to paste credits block.

Its defining trick is peer to peer screen sharing over the local network. Any phone, tablet, TV, or laptop on the same WiFi becomes a fully functional second screen by scanning a QR code or entering details manually, with no HDMI cable, no dongle, and no app to install. A GM can run a laptop as a control screen, lay a tablet flat on the table at true 1 inch or 25 mm scale as a mini battlemap, and face another tablet at the players for handouts and reveals. This creates a complete three screen setup that fits in a bag. Mappadux includes accessibility features such as screen reader compatibility for handout text blocks on both GM and player views, and feedback for improvement is always welcome. Mappadux is open source (MIT), free to download, modify, and use, and remains under active development with a community on Discord for feedback and bug reports.